Glock 19x9mm
A Glock 19x9 mm with a 15 round detachable magaine would be prohibited by SB25-003. Credit: Courtesy/William Howell

Democrats in the General Assembly have introduced a bill that would ban semiautomatic firearms that pair with detachable magazines.

SB 25-003 would also outlaw devices that allow the quick pulling of triggers on guns and bump stocks, which enable fast and repeated firing of a gun by forcing the trigger against the operator’s finger.

A press release by the Senate Democratic Caucus said the bill is needed to “fully implement and enforce Colorado’s existing high-capacity magazine prohibition.”

The weapons that would be covered by the bill, if enacted into law, include those that are not “a machine gun” and that, when a trigger is pulled, “fires the first chambered cartridge and uses a portion of the energy of the firing cartridge to extract the expended cartridge case, chamber the next round, and prepare the firing mechanism to fire again.” The measure also specifies that covered semiautomatic weapons are those for which the operator must separately “pull, release, push” or otherwise activate the trigger in order for a bullet to be released.

Glock 21
The Glock 21 .45 with a 14 round magazine is frequently carred by police officers and issued by police departments. Under SB 25-003 law enforcement would continue to have the legal authority to obtain and carry this firearm. Credit: Courtesy/WIlliam Howell
AR Platform rifle
An AR platform rifle would be outlawed by SB 25-003. The term AR stands for ArmaLite, the name of the original manufacturer. Credit: Courtesy/William Howell
Tavar semiautomatic rifle
The Tavar semiautomatic rifle will fire one round with each trigger pull. This civilian version of this Israel Defense Forces rifle fires a 223 Remington or Nato 5.56 caliber round. This gun would be prohibited by SB 25-003. Current law permits a detachable magazine holding no more than 15 rounds. However, magazines holding 20, 30, or more rounds are available. Credit: Courtesy/WIlliam Howell
small caliber hunting rifle
A small caliber hunting rifle is made for game such as deer. This bolt action rifle, which holds three .22-250 caliber rounds, would not be outlawed by SB 25-003. Credit: Courtesy/William Howell
Smith & Wesson revolver
The Smith & Wesson Model 66 .357 caliber Magnum revolver has a six round capacity. This weapon would not be outlawed by SB 25-003. Credit: Courtesy/William Howell

SB 25-003 specifically excludes most .22-caliber or lower guns, firearms that are “manually operated” with a bolt, lever, pump, or slide, any gun with a permanently fixed magazine that holds fewer than 15 bullets, “​​a single or double action semiautomatic handgun that uses recoil to cycle the action of the handgun,” inoperable firearms, and antiques.

The bill would also classify a “rapid fire device” as a “dangerous weapon” under Colorado law, grouping it with firearm silencers, machine guns, short shotguns, and short rifles.

The language of the proposed law defines a “rapid fire device” as “any device, part, kit, tool, accessory, or combination of parts that has the effect of increasing the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm above the standard rate of fire for the semiautomatic firearm that is not otherwise equipped with that device, part, or combination of parts.”

The reach of the bill extends to the manufacture, purchase, sale, manufacturing, and transfer of covered technology. Violation would be considered a class 2 misdemeanor under the state’s criminal code and be subject to a sentence of as many as 120 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $750. If a person committed another violation, then she or he could be convicted of a felony and face 18 months in prison and a fine of as much as $100,000.

Violators would also be barred from acquiring some semiautomatic guns for five years. Firearms dealers who violate the law would be subject to revocation of their permit.

Sales or transfers to law enforcement, corrections officers, commercial armored truck operators, and members of the armed forces who need it to perform their duties would be exempt.

Because the bill applies only to semiautomatic weapons that typically are able to fire only one bullet at a time, it would not impose a blanket prohibition of long guns known as “assault weapons,” which generally feature triggers like those on machine guns and allow the release of multiple rounds with one pull. Legislative efforts during previous years to accomplish that more expansive objective have foundered.

In 2013 Colorado enacted a law that capped at 15 the number of ammunition rounds in a firearm’s magazine.

SB 25-003 will be heard in the Senate’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee. The bill is sponsored by Democratic senators Tom Sullivan of Centennial and Julie Gonzales of Denver and by Democratic representatives Andrew Boesenecker of Fort Collins and Meg Froelich of Englewood.

Editors Note: The Estes Valley Voice would like to thank William Howell for providing photos and detailed information about guns for this article. Howell is a U.S. Air Force Vietnam War veteran and a retired detective from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in homicide and gangs and also worked in the Alhambra Police Department in narcotics and vice. He is president of Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary and a hospice volunteer at the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Cheyene, Wyo.